PHOENIX – The outcome of Super Bowl XLII could have a bearing on the identity of the next head coach of the Redskins. The Giants are determined to win, but in the process certainly do not want to lose Steve Spagnuolo, their defensive coordinator.

The coveted but demanding Redskins job remains open weeks after Joe Gibbs once again stepped away and does not appear close to getting filled any time soon. The waiting game strongly suggests Washington owner Dan Snyder wants to talk to someone currently involved in the Super Bowl and it doesn’t take an insider to figure out the two candidates are Spagnuolo and Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator.

Interestingly, those two assistants will match wits in the Super Bowl and the winner could land another prize: On-field control of the Redskins.

Fan of the Giants breathed a sigh of relief when the Falcons – who during the playoffs were denied permission to interview Spagnuolo – did not want to wait and instead hired Mike Smith, who had run the Jaguars’ defense. Snyder has been all over the coaching map. He met four times with Gregg Williams, his own defensive coordinator, but on Saturday dismissed Williams and Al Saunders, the Redskins’ offensive coordinator. If that wasn’t strange enough, Snyder then promoted defensive assistant Greg Blache to defensive coordinator, an unusual move, considering there’s no head coach in place.

Snyder has met twice with Jim Fassel, the former Giants coach who was the favorite to land the job back in 2004 before Gibbs came out of retirement. Fassel remains a consideration, but might be a fallback candidate if Snyder can’t land Spagnuolo or McDaniels.

If Spagnuolo, who in his first season with the Giants revitalized the defense and gained widespread respect among the players, does leave, he could be replaced, ironically enough, by Williams, who was atop Tom Coughlin’s list when he was assembling his first Giants staff in 2004. Figure Spagnuolo will be in great demand this week, because he’s accessible to the media for three straight days, starting tomorrow.